Q: What are the qualities of a most loved brand?

A: Trustworthiness is the first quality that consumers seek in any brand. For a brand to be loved, it needs to deliver its brand promise. When consumers trust a brand, they establish a strong emotional connection to it.

At Nippon Paint, we unfailingly deliver our promise, backed by 140 years of industry experience and Japanese technology, which is synonymous with quality and innovation.

Over its decade of operations in Sri Lanka, Nippon has built trust and claimed the position of the much loved No. 1 paint brand in the country. Nippon’s value proposition leads in the market and consumers trust us.

Nemantha Abeysinghe
General Manager

Q: In your view, how does branding add value to your company?

A: Nippon Paint remained visible even when competitors found it challenging to import products amid the rupee devaluation. We successfully maintained an uninterrupted supply of our products through the crisis to remain affordable and accessible in the market, thanks to our ‘never say die’ attitude.

Nippon looked for opportunities amid adversity and stayed positive by seizing many emerging opportunities. In fact, our sales grew during this period, which went against the market trend. I am proud of the entire team for facing the challenges arising from the economic crisis so successfully. Our company is also certified as a ‘Great Place to Work.’

We are building Nippon as a trustworthy brand backed by Japanese technology and the aforementioned attributes of a world-class brand. We ensure that our value proposition is appealing and we deliver our brand promise every single time.

Today, Nippon takes pride in being No. 1 in Japan, Sri Lanka and the Asia-Pacific region, and the fourth largest in the world. As one of the fastest growing companies, Nippon is consolidating its position further through global expansion to fulfil its ultimate ambition to become a global giant, suitably reflected in its new tagline – ‘Inspired by You.’

Q: How do you assess customer loyalty for Nippon Paint?

A: Brand loyalty is earned through performance. Despite being a young brand in Sri Lanka, we have built loyalty through our key stakeholders – namely, end users, painters, distributors, dealers, B2B partners, engineers, architects and so on – who recommend our brand offering.

“Trustworthiness is the first quality that consumers seek… For a brand to be loved, it needs to deliver its brand promise”

Q: Could you shed light on how the brand adopts new technologies?

A: As a Japanese backed company, Japanese technology comes to the forefront in our portfolio of products. Nippon innovates and differentiates to stay ahead by expanding its portfolio as a one stop shop.

Paint has evolved from providing colour to offering protection and today, even oxygenates the environment and purifies the air! Nippon has stayed at the forefront of this trend by incorporating the latest technology so that our products are free of toxic chemical compounds, near zero VOC (volatile organic compound) – which implies that even the water used is ionised so that the tiniest organism doesn’t find its way into our paints – as well as organic and so on.

Nippon Paint Lanka is the first paint manufacturing company to be certified for eco-labelling in Sri Lanka.

Q: What is your assessment of the competition?

A: We reached the number one position in a short span of 10 years despite the presence of longstanding competitors, which reflects our brand strength. The market has wholeheartedly embraced our value proposition, technology, innovation, quality and value for money, which enrich the user experience.

Our products are ISO 14001:2015 (environmental management system) and ISO 9001:2015 certified. Nippon Paint is a member of the Responsible Care Council of Sri Lanka and has obtained Singapore Green Label certification for some of its products.

And our R&D resources are global while our local R&D team also pioneers products that are shared globally. We’re able to harness technological and product advancements, and share them across the globe.

Q: And what are the future plans for the brand?

A: Nippon products address pain points in the environment for consumers, making their lives easier. This has given us an edge in marketing our products since we introduce over 20 new products every year.

Nippon is also present in the non-paint sector with products such as silicon sealants from its sister company Selleys of Australia.

Given our strong brand attributes, we will continue to reach higher, inspired by being selected as a most loved brand by Brand Finance and LMD. Our global ambition is to expand beyond paint and become number one in the world as a one stop shop.

– Compiled by Yamini Sequeira

Telephone 4600400  |  Email info@nipponpaint.com.lk  |  Website www.nipponpaint.lk